First, I have an American cocker too.. aren't they the cutest and sweetest things?!
Second, first you absolutely have to figure out if it is SA or nightmares to solve the problem, since there is two different ways to go about solving them.
Both of these issues are tough to tackle, but in different ways.
SA was easier for us to handle, since we found ways to ease him out of it. We would leave him for short periods of time, than longer and slightly longer. Honestly, this isn't plausible for some people because of work schedules. There are 3 people in my house with different schedules, so